The present invention relates to an easily removable label that is securely attached to a container yet facilitates recycling by leaving no permanent adhesive residue on the container once the label is separated.
It is known to apply labels to various types of containers. One such method of applying labels is by mechanical means which involve permanently adhering the label to the container by a press or a similar device to prevent slippage or detachment of the label from the product. Another method that is used involves heat shrinking a thermoplastic material around the container to provide a body conforming label. A still further method is to provide a label with temporary bonding characteristics so that the web may then be wrapped about the container while the label is temporarily bonded to the bottle or can.
With increased interest in recycling, the recycler is often faced with the onerous task of having to remove the label prior to recycling the container. When using one of the aforementioned processes remnants of the label or adhesive patterns may remain with the container after the initial stripping step has been completed, or the adhesion of the label to the can, bottle, or other container may be less than desirable. If remnants of adhesive remain, the recycler must then subject the container to a second or even third label/adhesive removal step. Such additional steps are generally time consuming and expensive, thereby decreasing the desirability of containers which have labels that are difficult to remove. However, manufacturers need to provide consumer goods which are aesthetically appealing and ones which will retain their labels during shipping and handling.
In order to remove those labels which have been permanently applied by mechanical means, time consuming and resource intensive efforts, such as water soaking or high pressure water jet, are typically used. This problem is then compounded by the recycler having to then treat the waste water used in the label removal process. Thus, containers having such permanently applied labels may be less appealing to the recycler due to the increased cost associated with the reclamation of the container.
Heat shrink labels on the other hand, while not permanently adhered to a container due to their body conforming fit, typically have to be cut or torn from the container, particularly with respect to glass and metal containers. However, due to the very snug and body conforming fit which accompany the application of heat shrink labels, the label may not be completely severed or removed from the label during the initial attempt. Therefore, the recycler must again attempt to sever the label from the container. Furthermore, heat shrink labels--if not completely separated from the container during the severing process--may tear or peel off in strips creating the additional task of having to collect the strips for subsequent recycling or disposal.
Providing a temporary bond to a label web, while eliminating many of the problems associated with removing labels attached by a permanent adhesive, is more likely to have a tendency towards slippage and subsequent loss from the container as there is no lasting cohesion between the label and the body of the container. If a label happens to become torn the aesthetic appearance of the product is lost and supplemental repackaging may be necessary. Furthermore, should the label slip off the container during subsequent shipping and handling, there would be no readily available means by which the consumer could identify the contents of the package. In addition, packaging that has a disfigured or lost label is often sold by the retailer at a much reduced price in order to move the goods quickly from the inventory.
Other container identification means have also been utilized, such as printing directly on the surface of the can or bottle. This however, may require an additional deinking step before the recycler can reclaim the container or in the alternative, the container may not be suitable for recycling as the various dyes may have contaminated the container material.
Thus, while much work has been done in this area in the past, further improvements are possible. For example, there is a need for a readily removable label that retains a sufficient adhesion to the container and which is also aesthetically appealing while at the same time leaves no significant adhesive residue or label remnants. Such a label would generally improve the efficiency of the recycling process as well as potentially reduce the overall costs associated with the reclamation procedure.
According to the present invention a container and label combination is provided which comprises a container having an exterior surface having a circumference. A label substrate having first and second faces in a generally quadrate configuration, and first and second opposite edges is also provided, the first and second opposite edges spaced from each other a distance greater than the container circumference. The substrate is wrapped around the container exterior surface with the first and second edges overlapping each other. Indicia is printed on the first face of the substrate indicating the contents of the container. A coating of removable (e.g. repositional) adhesive is disposed on the substrate second face and in contact with the container exterior surface to removably hold the substrate in secure contact with the container exterior surface over the majority of the length of the substrate. Removable or permanent adhesive means connect the first and second faces of the label substrate together at the overlapping first second edges, is adhesive unconnected to the container.
Also there preferably are means defining a line of weakness in the label substrate allowing ready severing of the label substrate at the line of weakness to allow ready removal of the label substrate from the container. A line of weakness is disposed adjacent and generally parallel to one of the first and second edges of the substrate, but remote from the permanent adhesive. If permanent adhesive is utilized, the permanent adhesive may be a pressure sensitive adhesive (hot melt), heat activated adhesive, or rewettable adhesive. The container exterior surface may be smooth (that is devoid of surface manifestations for locating the label), and may be a substantially circular cross-section tube.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a label for use with a container is provided. The label comprises a substrate having first and second faces and first and second opposite edges. Indicia is printed on the first face, and a coating of repositional adhesive is disposed on the second face of the substrate. A pattern (e.g. band) of permanent adhesive is disposed adjacent the first edge on one face of the substrate, and an adhesive receiving area may be disposed adjacent the second edge (e.g. an adhesive free band) so as to form a cooperating mating surface for the pattern of permanent adhesive. A line of weakness is formed in the substrate (e.g. a perforation line) so as to allow the label to be readily separated along the line of weakness. The pattern of permanent adhesive may comprise a band of adhesive on the first face of the substrate, and the permanent adhesive receiving area may be disposed on the second face, and be free of adhesive. The removable (e.g. repositional) adhesive may be covered with a release liner, as may the band of permanent adhesive (if it is pressure sensitive).
In the above embodiment, the pressure sensitive permanent adhesive may be disposed on the second face of the substrate between the first edge and the removable adhesive, and the first face of the substrate may be substantially coated with a permanent adhesive release coat (except at the cooperating mating surface). The cooperating mating surface is adjacent the second edge of the substrate. Also a corner portion of the second face of the substrate adjacent the second edge may be provided which contains no removable or permanent adhesive so that a plurality of labels may be disposed in a pad (with the first and second edges of all the labels aligned) and readily removed therefrom. The distance between the first and second edges minus the width of the cooperating mating surface is equal to the circumference of a bottle neck, or a bottle or can body.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide for an environmentally acceptable yet highly efficient manner of securing a label to a container, such as a bottle or can. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention and from the appended claims.